#Repost @susan_holloway_scott_author ・・・ Because it IS Halloween, I have to post (again) my favorite seasonal 18thc portrait of three friends in costume. Description from the gallery's web site."The Three Witches from Macbeth (Elizabeth Lamb, Viscountess Melbourne; Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire; Anne Seymour Damer)" by Daniel Gardner, 1775, @nationalportraitgallery #nationalportraitgallery "Depicted here as the three witches from Macbeth, all three of these women loved amateur dramatics and were involved in productions at the private theatre at Althorp, Georgiana's country estate. Whereas Lady Melbourne had been friends with Anne Seymour Damer since the early 1770s, the friendship with Georgiana was fairly recent and this pastel may in part be related to Melbourne's desire to publicize it. Their portrayal as Macbeth's witches also hints at their political influence, as the witches in the play encourage Macbeth to seize power. From 1776, Georgiana was the hostess of the most influential political salon in England and these three women were keen supporters of Charles James Fox, who was probably Georgiana's lover. In defiance of convention, she publicly campaigned for him in the 1784 election and was accused of 'selling kisses for votes'...." #danielgardner #britishart #britishartist #georgian #georgianengland #georgianart #portrait #groupportrait #pasteldrawing #duchessofdevonshire #georgiana #1770s #womeninpolitics #witches #threewitches #gorgeousgeorgians #art #arthistory #historyofart #heartart #artlovers https://www.instagram.com/p/BpnKAWrAbnI/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=u42be2konjiz
